1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a track rehabilitation machine comprising an elongated machine frame supported on the track by undercarriages for movement in an operating direction, the machine frame having two ends, and mounted on the machine frame a vertically adjustable endless ballast excavating chain for excavating dirty ballast whereon the track is supported, a first conveyor band unit for conveying the excavated dirty ballast from the ballast excavating chain to a ballast transfer station at one machine frame end, and a second conveyor band unit for conveying clean ballast from a ballast receiving station at the one machine end to a ballast discharge station arranged rearwardly of the ballast excavating chain.
2. Description to the Prior Art
Such a machine for cleaning ballast has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,944. The excavated dirty ballast is conveyed to a ballast screening car coupled to the front end of the machine frame by a first conveyor band unit, and the ballast cleaned on the ballast screening car is conveyed by a second conveyor band unit to a ballast discharge station arranged rearwardly of the ballast excavating chain in the operating direction of the machine. If too little clean ballast is available, a further conveyor band unit at the rear end of the machine frame may convey clean ballast to the ballast discharge station from a storage car. The detritus from the ballast screening car is stored in a storage car coupled to the ballast screening car.
It is the primary object of this invention to improve such a track rehabilitation machine by enhancing the transport possibilities of the detritus.
The above and other objects are accomplished according to the invention in a track rehabilitation machine of the first-described type by further conveyor band units cooperating with further ballast transfer and receiving stations at the other machine frame end for respectively conveying ballast to and from a ballast screening car selectively coupled a respective one of the machine frame ends.
This makes it possible to change the direction of conveyance of the detritus without problems and without requiring retrofitting for optimal adaptation to logical machine frame conditions. All that is needed is the repositioning of the ballast screening car from one machine frame end to the other.